It’s no secret that Leonard Bernstein has a special place in Pacific Symphony’s heart. Music Director Carl St.Clair was mentored by Bernstein and over the years, the orchestra has played numerous concerts featuring this great American master’s works. This season’s celebration lasts for three nights (Oct. 25-27) starting on Thursday, Oct. 25 and continuing every night through Saturday, Oct. 27, with programming that demonstrates Bernstein’s outstanding compositional command of music that often combined the influences of Broadway, jazz, opera, and sacred and secular music.
The Thursday (Oct. 25) and Saturday (Oct. 27) performances, at 8 p.m., will feature guest violinist Augustin Hadelich, soprano Celena Shafer, boy soprano Angel Garcia, and longtime artistic partner of the Symphony, the Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad. The evenings’ program consists of Bernstein’s “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs” (featuring Principal Clarinetist Joseph Morris as soloist), “Serenade (After Plato’s ‘Symposium’);” “Chichester Psalms;” “Glitter and Be Gay” and “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide;” “Greeting” and “Little Smary” from “Arias and Barcarolles;” and “A Little Bit in Love” from “Wonderful Town.” Tickets for the Oct. 25 and 27 performance range from $25-$206. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
Violinist Augustin Hadelich was named “Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2018 by online classical music magazine “Musical America.” He also won the 2016 Grammy award “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” for his recording of Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto, “L’arbre des songes” with the Seattle Symphony. This past summer, Hadelich made his debut at the Salzburg Festival performing the Sibelius concerto with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony. His recent international performances have included the BBC Philharmonic/Manchester Concertgebouw/Amsterdam, Hallé Orchestra, Hamburg Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Sapporo Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and the radio orchestras of Cologne, Frankfurt, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart.
Friday night’s performance on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m., hosted by radio personality Alan Chapman, is part of a new series, “Classical KUSC at Pacific Symphony.” This “Bernstein: Crossing Boundaries” concert will discuss how Bernstein’s music crosses boundaries between classical and jazz, sacred and secular and opera and Broadway. Joseph Morris, Celena Shafer, and the Pacific Chorale join Pacific Symphony in this 90-minute performance to play Bernstein’s “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs;” Chichester Psalms;” “Glitter and Be Gay” and “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide;” and “A Little Bit in Love” from “Wonderful Town.” Chapman will also give a Preview Talk before the performance starting at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:45 p.m. Concert-goers are encouraged to stay after the concert’s conclusion to enjoy an after-party on the Argyros Plaza for more music and conversation. Tickets for this performance begin at $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
